Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Books of Wonder and ALA Trip Report (part 1 of 3)

Saturday

6am - Wake from dream in which I am on a Huck Finn-like raft in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and I have a stack of copies of Into the Wild that I'm supposed to sign or else the sharks with laser beams strapped to them will shoot me but I don't have a pen so I'm trying to distill the seawater so that I can sign with salt...

6:05am - Pack more pens.

11am - Arrive one hour early for reading/signing at Books of Wonder (Manhattan's best children's bookstore). Admire my book on the front bookshelf. Check to make sure I still have my pens.

11:30am - Eat cupcake with author Staton Rabin, who is very nice plus has a cool hat. Wonder when cupcake-only stores became popular. Why not eclair stores? Or carrot-cake stores?11:55am - Notice that I will be signing books in the same room as signed first editions of Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter, and the Fellowship of the Ring. Hyperventilate a little. Then notice that the wonderful Books of Wonder staff has provided the authors with extra pens. Feel better.

Noon-ish - All four authors (JT Petty, Ellen Potter, Staton Rabin, and me) talk and/or read, then answer questions. We use a handheld microphone. I am tempted to sing Copa Cabana. I manage to resist, but it's a close call.

12:45pm - Sign books! I have a line!!! And there are even actual kids in it! (Special thanks to Julie Kaplan, the awesome teacher who told many students in Corona about me and to the students who came; special thanks to Leslie Margolis who is so sweet that she bought a copy of Into the Wild even though she's already read it; and special thanks to Penelope who heard me read the same scene twice before but came anyway because she's awesome.)

2pm - Sign the special Books of Wonder notebook. (This is a tradition - every author who has an event at Books of Wonder signs one of these notebooks. Prior notebooks hold signatures from Lloyd Alexander, JK Rowling, Tamora Pierce, etc.) I wish I could draw a picture, but the only thing I know how to draw is a somewhat deranged cartoon bunny. That doesn't seem so appropriate so I stick with just my name.

2:15pm - Arrive at Penn Station, ready to hop on the 3pm train to Washington DC for the ALA (American Library Association) Annual Conference. I'd paid the extra bucks to be on the Acela Express, due to arrive at 5:50pm, so that I can make the Penguin Young Readers Cocktail Party, which starts at 6pm. (Saturday night of ALA, many publishers throw cocktail parties. This will be my very first publisher cocktail party -- at least the first one where I have an actual official invitation and am not crashing -- and I'm determined not to miss it.)

2:20pm - Train is delayed 20 min.

2:55pm - Train is delayed 30 min.

3:05pm - Get on the Regional (slow) train instead.

6:30pm - Arrive in DC and go straight to cocktail party at the Fairmont Hotel.

6:50pm - John Green comes over and congratulates me on the recent release of my book. Gives me his yellow rose as a congratulations present. Now I have two roses. Feel twice as cool.

7-ish - Talk to many librarians, writers, and Penguin folk. No actual penguins are present. Pity. But I did see Judy Blume (from a distance).

8pm - Adjourn to outside patio with several awesome Penguin people (Leila Sales, Rachel Henry, Kathryn Hurley, Alan Walker, Dominique, and Kiwani, who I'm sure spells his name totally differently than I just did, many apologies) and two awesome authors (Simone Elkeles and Shannon Greenland).

So good to meet you! And when I got home and went to the U Bookstore for the Shannon Hale signing, I forgot to post that I also found two 2k7 books that I got alongside Austenland--and your was one of them! I'm looking forward to finally reading it.

About Me

I'm the author of fourteen fantasy books for adults, teens, and kids, including DRINK SLAY LOVE, the basis for the upcoming TV movie of the same name, airing on Lifetime in 2017. Several of these have won awards, including THE QUEEN OF BLOOD, which won the ALA Alex Award, and VESSEL, which won the Mythopoeic Award. My latest book for adults is THE RELUCTANT QUEEN and my latest book for kids is JOURNEY ACROSS THE HIDDEN ISLANDS, available now from Harper Voyager and HMH/Clarion Books, respectively. I'm very, very, very excited about this.

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The Reluctant Queen

The fate of two nations depends on three women: a young queen who is dying, a powerful queen who hungers for war, and a middle-aged woman who wants nothing to do with the power she could wield. They must each do what they think is best for their kingdoms -- or die trying.
Available now from
Harper Voyager.
Read the first two chapters.Order now!

"In Durst's excellent second Queens of Renthia fantasy, the world of Renthia remains a dangerous place where the spirits of the elements want to kill humans, and only powerful queens...can control them.... Durst throws a lot of balls in the air but manages to juggle them deftly.... New readers will benefit from starting with the first book, but they'll want to get to this one as soon as they can." -- Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

Roar and Sparkles Go to School

Let first-day-of-school worries soar away with Roar and Sparkles!

Roar is worried about his first day of school. He's worried that he'll have to do really hard things, like molt his scales or fly over a volcano. And what if his teacher doesn't like dragons?

Big sister Sparkles reassures Roar that school is fun! And when the first day arrives, Roar finds his worries melt away. He meets new friends, plays dragon games, listens to fun stories, and finds a way to thank his sister for her support.

"The lively details of Roar's daily life might be just enough to let readers temporarily forget about their own back-to-school nervousness." -- Publishers Weekly

Journey Across the Hidden Islands

The traditional Emperor's Journey is meant to be uneventful. But as the princesses Seika and Ji-Lin -- twin sisters -- travel to pay respects to their kingdom's dragon guardian, unexpected monsters appear and tremors shake the earth. The Hidden Islands face unprecedented threats, and the old rituals are failing. With only their strength, ingenuity, and flying lion to rely on, can the sisters find a new way to keep their people safe?
Available now from
HMH / Clarion Books.
Read the first two chapters.Order now!

"This adventure has surprise after surprise, and I love Durst's sly sense of humor!" -- Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author of the Tortall series

The Queen of Blood

Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow... But these are not sweet, frolicking nature sprites from a pastoral tale. The spirits that reside within this land want to kill all humans, the way white blood cells want to kill a virus. Only a few women have the power to command and control the spirits. These women become queens -- or die trying.
Available now from
Harper Voyager.
Read the first two chapters.Order now!

"A truly wonderful fantasy story. Filled with fresh ideas and excitement, told with verve and heart." -- Terry Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of the Shannara series

"Thrilling, heartrending, enchanting, absolutely un-put-down-able!" -- Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author of the Tortall series

The Girl Who Could Not Dream

The story of a girl whose family owns a secret dream shop where they buy, bottle, and sell dreams, and the adventure that she and her best friend -- a loyal and cupcake-loving monster named Monster -- go on when someone starts kidnapping dreamers.
Available now from
HMH / Clarion Books.
Read the first two chapters.Order now!

"Boy, do readers have a treat in store for them! Funny, scary, and endlessly inventive, this is the kind of book I would have adored as a kid." -- Bruce Coville, author of Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher

"A perfect combination of adventure, humor, and pure imagination!" -- Jessica Day George, New York Times bestselling author of the Tuesdays at the Castle series

"A twisted circus of a book, completely freaky and delicious at the same time. It's a thriller, a fairy tale nightmare, and a romance all in one, unlike anything else and impossible to predict. I could not stop reading!" --
Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of the Daughter of Smoke & Bone series

"Durst combines the particular terrors of memory loss and icy bureaucracy with the colorful horrors of carnivalesque murder, killer sleight-of-hand, and a creepy, terrible truth about Eve's very being. Disorientation, curiosity, and fear course through the story, offering tight suspense and satisfying mystification even up to the last pages. An unusual blend of magical worlds, psychological thriller, and teen romance." --
Horn Book

"Combining a sense of humor with the dark appeal of supernatural romance, this book is funny, scary and thought provoking all at once. Even jaded fans of the supernatural will find fun in this one." --
Kirkus Reviews

"Having her way with the conventions of the genre, Durst crafts a fresh, modern, and humorous twist on the vampire novel. Lively characters and a sweet romance are icing on the cake." --
Publishers Weekly

Enchanted Ivy

A story about getting into college. You know, taking the campus tour, talking to the gargoyles, flirting with the were-tigers, riding the dragons... While visiting the campus of Princeton University, 16-year-old Lily discovers a secret gate to a magical realm and must race against time to save herself, her world, and any hope she has of college admission.
Available now from
Simon & Schuster / Margaret K. McElderry Books.
Read the first chapter.Order now!

"ICE is a beautiful and shivery tale of sacrifice and love. Highly recommended, and just in time for the winter season." -- Becca Fitzpatrick, author of
Hush, Hush

Out of the Wild

Join Julie on a magical road trip across America. A flying bathmat, a very drowsy princess, a fire- breathing dragon, and several
thousand magic beanstalks... Julie's world, our world, will never be the same again. A sequel to Into the Wild, available now from
Penguin Young Readers /
Razorbill.
Read the first chapter.Order now!

"An enchanting romp full of adventure, humor and cleverness!" --
Holly Black, New York Times bestselling author of The Spiderwick Chronicles and Tithe

"An amazing, wild ride with very high stakes, and the fate of humans and fairytale people alike on the shoulders of one determined girl.
This is even better than the first book!" --
Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author of Terrier (Beka Cooper) and The Will of the Empress

"This is one of those rare occasions when the sequel is as good as the first book, if not better. Though, in my estimation, they make two
halves of one story, and what a wonderfully entertaining story it is." -- Charles de Lint, author of
The Blue Girl and Widdershins

"Head-spinning fun! Any book that mixes fire breathing dragons and Elvis Presley is a rare treat." --
Michael Buckley, New York Times bestselling author of The Sisters Grimm series

"INTO THE WILD is VERY cool, with a unique look at the great fairytale characters. I couldn't put it down
until I knew how this brave, extraordinary girl could face such powerful magic!" --
Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author of Terrier (Beka Cooper) and The Will of the Empress

"Sarah Beth Durst's INTO THE WILD is fabulous in the oldest, truest, and best sense of the word, harking
back to fables, wonder, and magic unleashed. It's bold, sassy, and utterly engaging. I can't wait to see
what she does next!" -- Bruce Coville, author of
The Unicorn Chronicles and Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher

"INTO THE WILD's fairy-tale characters are fascinating, and Julie is everything one could want in a heroine
-- she's intelligent, practical, determined and brave; at once more ordinary and more extraordinary than she
herself thinks she is. I'll be keeping an eye out for more work from Sarah Beth Durst." --
Patricia C. Wrede, author of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles